Study Says People Who Wear Knockoff Sunglasses Are More Likley To Lie

When the news surfaced yesterday that some sellers on eBay have been offering red soles meant to turn your run-of-the-mill heels into faux Louboutins, most of you ladies said that trying to pass off that kind of fraud was pretty lame. But did you know that it could make you much more prone to lying?

When the news surfaced yesterday that some sellers on eBay have been offering red soles meant to turn your run-of-the-mill heels into faux Louboutins, most of you ladies said that trying to pass off that kind of fraud was pretty lame. But did you know that it could make you much more prone to lying?

"Everyone in the study was given a pair of real $300 designer shades. Half of them were told they were authentic, while the other half was told they were knockoffs. Both groups were then asked to complete a problem-solving task where they would be paid for each correct answer. They marked their own tests and were asked to report their scores. The subjects who thought they were wearing real sunglasses cheated 30 percent of the time, while those who believed they were sporting faux lenses bumped up their score 71 percent of the time. All the participants thought that their tests were anonymous and that their reported scores couldn't be cross-checked, but researchers had coded the exams so they knew exactly who was, and who wasn't, a fashionable fibber."

The researchers concluded in Psychological Science that ""Feeling like a fraud makes people more likely to commit fraud." Pretty interesting, huh? It's kind of crazy to think that taking one small-ish step towards forgery may enable a whole slew of less than honest behavior. Do you feel like wearing a knockoff is a victimless little crime, or do you think the study is right, and it tends to make you a more dishonest person? Discuss!